Transcript
The way forward - Module 17
Module 2: Trait Theory of Leadership. Trait theory addresses leadership from the viewpoint that leadership is driven by the individual’s characteristics.
Module 3: Behavior Theory of Leadership. The actions of the leader are the focus of the behavior theory of leadership.
Module 4: Transformational Theory of Leadership. Transformational leadership shifts the focus of the leadership process from the leader to the process that occurs between the leader and the follower.
Module 5: Following. Obviously leadership does not exist if there is not follower ship. A limited number of studies have focused specifically on the follower, who, it can be argued, has more control over the situation than the leader. For only the follower can decide to follow.
Module 6: Leadership: A Cultural Construction? As with societies, organizations have cultures, and within these cultures, subcultures. Cultures influence ‘how we do things around here’, so culture needs to be considered as a portion of the leadership equation.
Module 7: Gender and Leadership. One of the most striking workplace changes of the last century has been the proportion of women who have entered the world of work, including positions of leadership. Although there is still a glass ceiling, the changing needs of flatter and more flexible organizations operating in negotiated networks have led to the suggestion that the stereotypical female capabilities (interpersonal skills, communication, empathy, collaboration, conflict handling and negotiation) might be of more use than those of the male (competitiveness, aggression, strategic planning and winning) and lead to higher effectiveness.
Module 8: Developing Ethical Behavior in Our Leaders. Ethics, doing the right thing, is good for business as well as for the organization’s stakeholders. But being within the limits of the law does not necessarily constitute ethical behavior.
Module 9: Leading Individuals and Teams. The job of the leader is to ensure that the follower is successful.
Module 10: Leadership across the Larger Organization. Providing leadership across the total organization is the most complex and challenging of all leadership situations. Those whom the leader wishes to influence may not be within the leader’s direct reporting structure or may report only very indirectly, layers down within the organization. Therefore, the leader is likely to need to employ leadership behaviors identified by Kouzes and Posner among successful leaders: modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart.
Module 11: Leadership Development in a Fast Changing World. Leadership development programs have been readily available for 40 years. And yet, today, most organizations report that they will not have the required numbers or types of leaders available to meet future needs. A major cause of this shortfall may be that leaders are today confronted with different leadership situations: a much more complex world, a more sophisticated and demanding workforce, work increasingly accomplished through teams, the need for a transformational leadership approach, and constantly changing jobs. Therefore we can no longer focus on developing leaders in our organizations. Rather, we must develop the leadership function through policies, systems and strategic review.
Module 12: The Development Leadership: Tools and Practices. If organizations are to develop their leadership function, it is incumbent on them to employ the most effective tools, methods and systems, based on sound learning theory.
Module 13. Strategic Leadership. It is easy to think of a leader in the role of hero, instantly assessing the nature of a crisis and rallying and directing followers to respond. The reality is that almost every organization must plan and execute in a much longer timeframe in order to survive and indeed prosper. Strategic leadership is the key role in this process. A number of models of strategy development are available, but they all require the elements of configuring, facilitating, delivering, evaluating and changing.
Module 14: Leadership and Risk. Interwoven in the process of leadership is the matter of understanding and managing risk. Few decisions can be taken without incurring some degree of risk. But there is also risk in deciding to do nothing, or not deciding at all.
Module 15: How is Leadership Studied? Although it would be convenient to develop knowledge about leadership through the methods of physical science, it is clear that the social sciences (and thus the study of leadership) do not easily lend themselves to such quantitative methodology.
Module 16: A Critical Look at Leadership. In spite of the vast body of research and writing about leadership, our understanding of its formation is still quite limited. One reason may be the transnationalism in which the leader functions. Making economic choices for our organizations that at first seem logical and in the best traditions of capitalism may soon run into a vast array of unpredictable influences, the context, values, organizations and traditions of other entities influenced by such choices. Consequently, the leader may have only limited scope actually to lead, perhaps being primarily a product of society, the organization and the context.
The most valuable part of any organization is the combined knowledge of its employees.
Organizational Learning Systems
Efforts at managing organizational learning have typically been modeled after the traditional library: people who have knowledge record it and place it in the library. Unfortunately, that system doesn’t work. There are at least three reasons for this. First, it is very difficult to get busy individuals to
record their learning faithfully and consistently. Second, knowledge that is recorded is explicit. Finally, most organizational learning libraries are limited for lack of resources or support;
five learning system designs:
Each organization will develop its own, unique system, meeting its aspirations and philosophy and working within the organization’s culture. To implement the learning systems above can answer questions such as:
• How effective is our graduate intake program?
• Are our leadership competencies still relevant?
• What are the outcomes of our leadership development training programs?
• What developmental assignments are most effective in developing tomorrow’s executives?
• How well is our succession planning process meeting its purpose?
• How do our followers view organizational leadership?
Principles to guide leaders:
1 Gather a clear picture of your leadership and keep it current: Feedback is the most important component of any skill development process. The feedback process really has two stages: gaining that feedback, and then understanding and accepting it so that we may take meaning from it. Leaders can also ask those most in the know, their followers, for feedback. Leaders must not only actively seek feedback on an ongoing basis; they must also understand and accept it.
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2 Develop a plan to address any current issues. It is very easy to think of development planning as
A process supporting our career planning.
3 Develop a realistic plan to develop for future challenges. As current issues are addressed, then it is appropriate to began looking to the future. Aspect of development planning also needs to involve
Quality-of-life considerations: the requirements of our families, the willingness to relocate geographically, leisure time and community involvements and much more. Perhaps a final input needs to be a good measure of realism: what aspirations, given all of the feedback, self-analysis, environmental understanding as so on, can be realistically fulfilled? There is somewhat of an art to goal setting.
Goals that do not challenge do not lead to fulfillment. Goals that are unattainable lead only to disappointment. But stretch goals, goals that are challenging, yet realistic, are the ones that lead to personal fulfillment and organizational success.
4 Self lead, make the plans happen. Commitment is not enough. It works best when the leader institutes concrete, almost mechanical processes that remind, reinforce and keep the process on course. Some examples include the following:
• Developmental goals with task goals in the annual performance planning process, with equal levels of accountability.
• A development agenda in periodic meetings with the leader’s manager.
• Placing reminders at future dates in a time management system.
• Posting development objectives above the desk.
• Developing a coaching or mentoring relationship with another person to support development goals.
• Scheduling ‘thinking’ time each week to review progress.
5 View leadership development as a continuing process: periodically evaluate and renew. leadership development is not a destination. It is a journey. For successful leaders it will never end. There is always
more to learn. Situations will always change. Skills will always need to be honed and developed. New ways of doing, thinking and being will be required. In our fast changing world there is no choice if we are not only to survive, but indeed, to thrive. Effective leadership development occurs year in and year out. It is a rich combination of work assignments, short courses, personal reading, being mentored, mentoring others, web based learning, degree programs, membership of professional organizations, community
Projects and more. It is never the same for any two people. But what is the same is that it is an ongoing professional habit, a process pursued throughout the leader’s professional life.
